Want to set yourself up for success this year? Find out your Health Type’s hack for success in this series on what to focus so you know you’re doing what’s right for you.

Crusaders, it is essential that you live on purpose. Your success hack is hosted by your mind – the machine running your show.

Your mind needs to be driven towards a clear purpose in everything you do. If anything in your life is pointless, aimless or isn’t giving you a sense of achievement – get rid of it, replace it, or reframe it. Direct all your energy purposefully.

The key reason: your dopamine response. Your Health Type is wired to be driven towards dopamine release. This neurotransmitter produces a reward response in the brain, which then generates motivation towards repeated efforts. It comes from making achievements.

If you haven’t got a clear mission or purpose, you need one. You need a point to everything you do. You need goals. You need markers of success to tick off. You don’t ‘go with the flow’ and ‘surrender to the now.’ You, possibly more than any other type, must have clear, specific, actionable and measurable goals. They can be personal or professional, public or private achievements – but they have to be yours.

I’m not going to tell you what to do or what goals to set. That’s your job, which you’re more than capable of. But, I will provide some brief suggestions for maximising on your efforts towards achieving your objectives.

Strategies to enhance your mental efficacy and productivity:

– Focus your attention. While you can manage many projects and responsibilities, your mind is far more effective when you use a laser focus to attend to one at a time. You may be able to do it in bursts, but switching between too many tasks ultimately slows down your processing.

As such, you need to:

– Prioritise and compartmentalise. Be logical and precise in your processes. Delete extraneous distractions when you are on task – turn off notifications, shut the door, put headphones in. Practice effective ways of letting others know that when you’re on task, that is your priority. Then, when it’s time, move to the compartment that might be ‘social’ or ‘fitness’ or ‘eating’. (Create compartments for all of these – otherwise you risk not attending to them as needed.)

– Schedule time for your body’s needs: healthy eating, exercising and sleeping. Set alarms to ensure it happens. While you can push harder than some, it ultimately reduces your productivity if you’re not attending to your physical needs.

Key points:

– Sleep: In principle, don’t stay up past midnight, rise earlier instead for morning productivity. Wind down before you sleep. List tomorrow’s priorities, then leave them. Switch off your notifications.

– Eat: Fuel the brain with complex carbohydrates. Consume nutrient dense cooked foods regularly – slow cookers save time. Minimise your intake of toxins e.g. alcohol, caffeine, refined sugars. Your brain has a higher predisposition towards storing these toxins, and your mental drive may make these quick fixes attractive. Don’t fall for short term hits at the expense of long term productivity.

– Exercise: Clear your head with long distance, repetitive, solo activities like running or cycling, ideally in the afternoon. Start mornings with activity that gets you breathing deeply and circulating but does not expend essential energy too soon.

For the most precise and personalised data, access your ph360 profile. Identify what you are going to action when, and track your progress in their implementation.

To amplify your mental & physical energy, a Personalised Detox will provide you with a complete, brief and efficient program to implement at home. To extend, employing the expertise of a personalised coach will further build your toolkit of strategies for maximising your success.

Whatever your objectives, have a highly successful year.

Want to stay up to date, comment, and ask questions? Head to ph360 and my Facebook page and join the conversation!

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